Jonathan M. Philpott was born in 1967 in Honolulu, Hawaii. He attended the McCallie School in Chattanooga, Tennessee before entering Hampden-Sydney College in Hampden-Sydney, Virginia where he was awarded a BA in Philosophy and History in 1990. While at Hampden-Sydney, Dr. Philpott was selected to attend a summer program at St. Anne’s College at Oxford University in England to study English Literature and British History. He earned his M.D. degree in 1994 at the Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia. He then completed his general surgery internship and residency at the East Carolina University School of Medicine in Greenville, North Carolina. While there, he spent a year as a Research Fellow in Cardiovascular Physiology. During his six years at East Carolina, Dr. Philpott earned multiple awards including Resident Physician Excellence in Teaching Award for the years 1998, 1999 and 2000. He was also recognized with the Resident of the Year Award in 1997, 1999 and 2000. In 1999, he received the Ray D. Minges Award, given “In Recognition of Superior Accomplishments in Surgical Scholarship and Distinguished Presentation.” Dr. Philpott was elected a member of the surgical honor society Alpha Omega Alpha in 2000. Click here to read full bio.

Mellanie True Hills is a heart disease survivor, heart health expert, and author of the multiple award-winning book, A Woman’s Guide to Saving Her Own Life: The HEART Program for Health & Longevity. After having a brush with death in emergency heart surgery, and a subsequent close call with a stroke due to an irregular heartbeat, atrial fibrillation (AF or afib), she pledged to leave behind her high-tech executive life to use her second chance to help others avoid heart disease and stroke, the #1 and #3 killers.

In the U.S. alone, heart disease and stroke take nearly 3,000 men and women each day. Forty per cent of us will get, and die from, heart disease or stroke. But this is preventable, if you know what to do. Mellanie's mission is to spread awareness of how to save your own life. She provides a message of hope and encouragement, sharing how to take control, decrease stress, and protect against heart disease and stroke. Audiences consistently say, You saved my life. Click here to read full bio.

Donna Slack, 72, taught paramedics and EMTs at the time she realized she had Afib. She was officially diagnosed in 2007 when she was undergoing preliminary tests for an unrelated operation. Following her diagnosis, she was treated with medication and four cardioversions, all which failed to keep her persistent atrial fibrillation at bay. Finally, she went to Sentara Heart Hospital in September 2012 for a hybrid surgery. Since the procedure, Donna’s Afib has been gone for a year. She “couldn’t be happier with the care” she received, and she is excited that this type of multidisciplinary and patient-centered care can be made available to other patients through NAIAC. Click here to download print-friendly version.

Joan Beeferman, 71, knew she had Afib the moment the arrhythmia started. As a nurse, she was very familiar with the irregularities her patients sometimes experienced. Joan’s Afib started in 2007 when she began to experience a variety of symptoms, including shortness of breath and weakness one hot summer day. Her condition worsened in 2012 when it began happening more and more frequently. Worried and uncomfortable, she decided to undergo treatment at Sentara Heart Hospital. Since this procedure several months ago, Joan’s atrial fibrillation has not returned. Click here to download print-friendly version.